Week 12, Monday – Week 13, Thursday
“Good morning and welcome to CNN’s Evening Edition, this is Holly Williams. Today’s top story continues to be the evacuation of the Hawaiian Islands. Our own Henry Gennero was able to provide these photos of Honolulu from a news helicopter.” The video cut to show streams of people moving toward the docks, large moving trucks driving towards an enormous auto carrier. “Reports from the Honolulu Police Department indicate that the number of protestors has steadily declined as well, showing a crumbling of resistance to the idea of leaving their homes. There remains a dedicated core of people determined to stay as long as they can. This video was uploaded to YouTube a few hours ago; some of the language has been edited for content.” The video cut to a shaky cell phone recording of about two dozen people shouting angrily, the occasional bleep masking their obvious swearing. Many carried signs ranging from ‘Ponies Go Home’ to ‘Put the Freaks in a Zoo’, and one simply stated ‘Kill Them All’. The feed cut back to the anchor in time to see her shake her head. “Moving to the other top story of the hour, the mission to send a manned spacecraft to investigate the apparent deviation of the upcoming Lyrids meteor shower has entered its final phase. As incredible as it sounds, nations around the world have come together to provide everything from technical support to funding. Even more incredible is the actual team that is going to be going on the flight. No less than four human nations have provided astronauts and scientists, and even Equestria is sending three of its citizens. The names of the three ponies have been announced to be Twilight Sparkle, Sky Limit, and the first pony to come to Earth, Star Dancer.” The video displayed the photographs of the three ponies as the anchor continued speaking. “The mission will be launched from the iconic Launch Complex 39, the same facility that sent men to the moon in 1969. The forecast is for clear skies and the launch is expected to go off without a hitch. CNN reporter Tracy Jeffries, sister to the famous pilot Major Conner Jeffries, will be on site to record the momentous event. Now, in other news…” The video cut off as President Foster leaned back in his chair and yawned tiredly.
“Well, that’s at least one small blessing. Curtis, how is FEMA doing with settling people into the emergency homes that were set up?”
Curtis glanced down at the file folder he was holding. “So far it’s going well; we have successfully settled approximately seventy-five percent of the American population. The Japanese report that they completed their evacuations and are sending their ships to help us now. We expect to have all humans off the islands about a week before the radiation does, though that’s a very rough estimate.”
“Alright, it seems like things are going well. Celestia, are you sure your ponies will be alright with going into space like this? I’m not as well-informed on the details, but usually astronauts spend years getting ready for this sort of thing.”
Celestia sipped at her tea and smiled. “I have absolute confidence in all my subjects. I am certain they will do just fine.”
---Tuesday, 9:00AM---
“By the Sun, I should have said ‘Sorry Princess, but I’m not cut out for this sort of thing.’” Twilight said as she fought to keep from looking down as the mixed group crossed the gantry to the launch vehicle. Risking a quick glance, she shuddered and stopped for a moment.
“Don’t worry Twilight, there’s no way either me or Sky Limit would let you fall.” Star Dancer said reassuringly, though he was nervous as well. The suits the humans had said they’d need to wear were hot and itchy, and not being able to unfurl his wings was irritating.
“Thanks, but I think after this I’ll just take a nice long vacation. On the ground. Where unicorns are supposed to be.” Twilight said, finally convincing her hooves to start walking again as they entered the door on the side of the vehicle. The interior had been rebuilt to accommodate the three ponies, with a trio of small couch-like seats positioned toward the rear. Clambering awkwardly into them, the humans strapped them in securely before climbing into their seats. Twilight twitched violently as the earpiece she’d been given spoke in a monotone.
“T-minus five minutes to launch.”
Twilight tried to get her breathing back under control, craning her head to look at the patch that Rarity had given her the night before. It bore the same background of stars as the human patches, but instead of an eagle it had a pony standing proudly. Twilight’s was a unicorn, while Star Dancer’s was a pegasus and Sky Limit’s an earth pony. In addition, each bore another slogan, ‘First Equestrians into Space.’ Twilight smiled as she remembered the party that Pinkie had somehow put together the night before, before the voice came back again.
“T-minus two minutes to launch.”
…
“Ah’m not sure ‘bout this ya’ll.” Applejack stated nervously, standing by the windows. The launch pad was visible in the distance, looking like a fragile toy to the earth pony. “Ah’ve been up in Twi’s balloon, but sendin’ ponies into space? T’aint natural if ya ask me.”
“Oh don’t fret so Applejack. I personally oversaw the creation of those ‘space suits’ and I can tell you they will perform above and beyond what the humans said was necessary.” Rarity replied, though she was as nervous as Applejack on the inside.
“I just wish I could have been picked to go.” Rainbow grumped, jealous that another pegasus had been selected over her.
“Girls! It’s starting!” Pinkie shouted a half second before the speaker in the ceiling crackled into life.
“T-minus thirty seconds and counting. Thirty, twenty-nine, twenty-eight…”
“I can’t watch!” Fluttershy cried as she darted out of sight behind a couch.
“Those humans better know what they’re doing…” Spike muttered, his face pressed against the glass.
“Fifteen, fourteen, thirteen, twelve…” The voice continued on inexorably.
“C’mon Fluttershy! We gotta be cheering Twilight on! She’d do the same for any of us.” Rainbow said, tugging the shivering yellow pegasus from behind her hiding spot. She squeaked in fear, but nonetheless crept to stand with the others, all watching intently as the countdown continued.
“Five, four, three, two, one, ignition.” For a few seconds nothing happened and the ponies started looking at each other in confusion.
“Did it break?” Rainbow wondered aloud.
Suddenly, a flash of light and dull roar startled everypony present. Looking back out, they could see billowing clouds of smoke erupting from the base of the rocket, lit a dull orange from the fires within. Another second and the rocket was beginning its ascent on a pillar of flame and smoke.
“We have liftoff!” The voice over the loudspeaker called out triumphantly.
“That’s so awesome.” Rainbow said, her eyes wide as the rocket continued to climb into the sky. The others all echoed the sentiment, their eyes following it upward until it was a speck in the sky.
…
Twilight wanted to scream, but the pressure against her body was overpowering. Managing to turn her head to see Sky Limit, she was amazed to see a wild-eyed grin on his face. Looking the other way, she could see Star Dancer seemed discomforted, but not afraid either. Deciding to not be the only scared pony on the flight, she managed to beat down the fear and tried to relax. However, after another few minutes dragged by, she suddenly started to feel the pressure ease off. Sighing a little, she yelped as her body kept feeling lighter until she was weightless, almost floating in the seat. She twitched again as the earpiece she’d been given suddenly started making noise.
“Miss Sparkle, relax. The feeling is normal for being in space; it’s why we had you practice moving around underwater last week.” She recognized the voice as the human in charge of the mission; his name was Captain John Wolfowitz if she remembered right.
“If you say so, it’s still peculiar as can be.” She muttered as she tried to settle herself a bit. Looking up as she saw movement, she saw one of the humans had unbuckled themselves and was floating toward her. Alicia Young, one of the support astronauts for John, her brain reminded her a second later. She tried to remember the names of the other two humans on the flight, but their names were in some language other than English.
“Just stay still, there’s something you ponies ought to see.” The human gently undid her straps and lifted her into the air. “Just relax, I’ve got you.”
Twilight was about to remind her that she most assuredly didn’t have her when the breath caught in her lungs. The human had moved her face to be looking out one of the very tiny windows the ship had, and the sight before her was awe-inspiring.
A vast curve of blue, green, tan, and white stretched out before her, curving gently where it met black. She could see cloud formations that must have been enormous, yet looked so small that she could have smashed them with a hoof. The scale of what she was looking at suddenly struck her, and she could feel tears forming at the sheer beauty of it all. She reached out a hoof, wondering what it would be like to be able to reach out and touch an entire planet like a normal pony would touch an everyday object. “It… it’s beautiful. I wish everypony could have the chance to see this… I don’t even have words…”
“That never gets old.” Alicia said, gazing wistfully out the window too. “One more peek, then the other two get a turn.” Twilight didn’t even hear her, still staring blankly at the world below her. She continued staring as Alicia moved her to the side to give Sky Limit and Star Dancer a look. The reactions were the same and Alicia laughed a little at the notion that she’d get to show three ponies from another dimension what the Earth was like from orbit. She laughed even harder as she noticed their legs were twitching, wings in Star Dancer’s case, almost as if they wanted to just bolt out the airlock and gallop across the shining blue sphere.
“Alright Alicia, get them settled back in, we’ve got a long burn ahead of us to make it to the moon for the next stage.” Wolfowitz spoke over the radio, his voice hard as the metal the ship was forged from.
“Roger that sir.” With a few deft movements she secured the three ponies in their harnesses and strapped herself in too.
“Initiating burn in three, two, and one.” Wolfowitz said before he pressed a button on the console in front of him. The vehicle’s occupants were pushed back hard into their seats as the booster rocket ignited, beginning the next part of the mission.
…
“So I take it everything went smoothly thus far?” Celestia asked Foster.
“Indeed. I was skeptical of it being able to come together so quickly, but I guess the combination of the Dome and the meteor shower has everyone willing to work together for once.” Foster said wryly as he took a drink of water.
“You seem surprised Tyler. Why is it so shocking that humans would want to work together on something?”
“I guess you just get used to everyone else trying to get an angle on you that when they’re not it’s a bit of a novelty.” Foster admitted.
“That’s a shame.” Celestia said sadly as she looked out over the room full of technicians monitoring the spacecraft.
“Yea, I suppose it is.”
…
Twilight could not remember a time when she was this bored. Her idea to play I Spy had entertained the crew for all of twenty seconds once they realized they could all win by guessing black. She also desperately wanted to move around, but the confined space of the shuttle saw to that in short order. She’d at least gotten to learn the names of the other two humans on the mission. The smaller one was named Toshio Ueda, while the other was named Dieter Jung. She was relieved to know that both of them spoke English at least, though of the two, she enjoyed speaking with Toshio a little more. Dieter seemed cold and aloof, spending most of the time staring at the console and making the occasional adjustment.
Eventually she had come upon the idea of sharing tales of her adventures with her friends in Equestria. That had surprisingly been a bigger hit with the humans than she had thought it would have.
“So then the dragon changed his mind and left Equestria to find a better place to take his nap. Fluttershy was amazing that day.” Twilight finished with a smile. Alicia leaned in closer.
“Let’s hear another one.” Toshio said eagerly, fascinated with the idea that dragons actually existed in Equestria.
“Well, I’ve told more than a few of mine, how about you tell one Sky Limit?”
The earth pony shrugged. “Well, I’ve not gone on as many adventures as you Twilight, but I got to meet a dragon too. It was while I was trying to locate star metal to finish the MkIII, and I’d heard that an old friend of Celestia’s had come into possession of some. So I traveled from Canterlot all the way to Tacksworn, and find out that this friend of Celestia’s wasn’t a pony after all! His name was Sharptooth, and a nicer dragon I have yet to see. If it weren’t for him I wouldn’t have been able to finish the MkIII.” He took a breath to begin his story when Wolfowitz spoke up again.
“Alright you lot, story time’s over. We’re coming into our final approach to launch our sensor package towards the location the meteors began diverting their course. We’ll orbit the moon for one full day while it collects its data and comes back. Then we pick it back up and make our way back to Earth.”
Alicia sighed and moved over to a side console, pressing a few buttons and nodding at the chimes that sounded. “Sensor package ready to go on your order sir.”
“On my mark. Five, four, three, two, one, mark.”
Alicia pressed a single larger button. A shuddering thud resounded through the ship as a streak of light became visible. “Package away.”
“Alright, now finish that story Sky, not like we’re going anywhere.”
“Well, it all started when I was born. Both my parents were pegasi you see, so having a foal that can’t fly presented certain issues…”
The day dragged by slowly as the ship spun around the cold grey rock of the moon, but the passengers were able to pass the time telling stories about their respective homes and lives. The humans were fascinated by the stories of Equestria, each wishing in turn that they could see it for themselves. Well, all the humans except for Dieter, who seemed utterly dismissive of the concept of visiting a land from another reality. The Equestrians in turn were riveted by the stories of a world that existed entirely without magic. Sky Limit in particular asked endless questions about their technology, ideas sprouting in his mind like weeds as he thought of ways to use it to benefit ponies and humans lives. They were in the middle of listening to Twilight recount the tale of her and her friend’s ordeal with Discord when a sudden beeping interrupted them.
Alicia drifted over to her console with a sigh and read the information scrolling across the screen. “I’m seeing the package returning now, signal seems strong, but its flight path is erratic as hell sir.” She said, concern beginning to show on her face.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean just that sir, the thing’s all over the place. I don’t know if we’ll be able to recover it.”
“Well, try to override its computer, bring it in manually.”
“Roger that.” Alicia pressed a button and took control of a small pair of joysticks. Making small adjustments as the computer screen streamed numbers across its surface, she smiled. “Ok, got it coming in now.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Everyone looked at Star Dancer as he put his head in his hooves. The pegasus felt like his skull was being simultaneously split open and pressed in.
“What’s wrong Star?” Twilight asked before she started feeling it too. She winced, her horn sparking reflexively. The lights in the spacecraft started alternating between glowing brightly and fading out, the speakers began to crackle with static and the smell of ozone filled the air
“HEY, CUT THAT MAGIC OUT, YOU’LL KILL US ALL!” Dieter shouted, a trace of real fear lacing his voice.
“I-I’ll try.” Twilight managed to growl out as she clamped down on her magic. Gradually the lights returned to normal and the speakers fell silent, though the stink of ozone lingered.
“What’s wrong with them sir?” Alicia asked worriedly as Sky Limit paled and started shaking.
“I don’t know, but let’s grab the probe and get the fuck out of here.” Wolfowitz said, already pressing buttons frantically.
“Roger that sir. Toshio, Dieter, make sure they’re okay.” Alicia said as she finished guiding the probe to where she could grab it with the arm. “Probe recovered.”
Toshio tightened down the straps on Twilight and Star Dancer, while Dieter secured Sky Limit. The two humans hurriedly strapped themselves into their seats; a moment later Alicia joined them as Wolfowitz pressed a few more buttons and felt the rumble of the engines as the spacecraft started the trip back to Earth.
---Five days later---
“So how are Twilight and the others doing?” Foster asked as he and Celestia walked down the hospital corridor. Each of them had a pair of escorts, unicorn guards for Celestia and Secret Service for Foster.
“I am pleased to say they will recover fully thanks to the actions of Captain Wolfowitz and the rest of the human crew.” Celestia replied with a smile. “So how goes the analysis of the information that was collected?”
Foster sighed. “We’re still trying to make sense of it. From the initial data we’ve looked at, it appears as though something is surrounding the Earth and the moon. The scientists doing the analysis tell me it’s almost like a barrier of gravity keeping the rest of the universe out and us in. What we don’t know yet is what’s causing it and what’s going to happen next. We’ve still got a lot more work to do before we can say anything for sure though.”
“I see…” Celestia frowned and quickened her stride slightly.
“You know something don’t you Celestia? Tell me.” Foster said, hurrying to keep up with the alicorn.
“It’s nothing, Foster; which room is Star Dancer in?”
“He’s in room 504, right here.”
“Thank you. I suggest you remain outside the door, there’s a spell I need to use.” Celestia barely waited for Foster’s nod before entering the room, leaving the President standing in the hallway with the agents and the unicorns.
“I wish she’d tell me more of what goes on in that head of hers. It’s a mite irritating to be kept in the dark.” Foster remarked to no one in particular.
The silence dragged on for ten minutes, no sound leaving the room despite Foster putting his ear to the door. Even the unicorn guards started to look concerned, one joining Foster in trying to listen in. Suddenly the door started to open, startling Foster and the unicorn into jumping back and trying to look nonchalant. Celestia walked out and stood for a moment, her eyes distant and the barest trace of a frown creasing her muzzle.
“Is everything alright Celestia?” Foster asked as he moved to look the alicorn in the eye. The second his eyes began to enter her field of view, she closed them.
“Follow me.” Celestia turned and strode purposefully down the hallway towards Twilight’s room, Foster and the others trailing after her. As they reached the door, Celestia stopped.
“Guards, if you would wait out here. Foster, your men must stay outside as well.”
“Sir, if I may…” The agent stopped talking as Foster raised a hand.
“It’s fine, wait outside the door.” Celestia nodded firmly and opened the door, Foster following her as the agents took up a position on one side of the door and the unicorns on the other.
“Princess Celestia! And hello President Foster.” Twilight sat up, the bright smile on her face fading as she saw the look on Celestia’s face. “What’s wrong?”
“A moment, Twilight.” Celestia lit her horn and the walls briefly pulsed gold before fading.
Foster blinked his eyes as a faint buzz made itself known in the back of his head. “What is the meaning of this Celestia? Why are you using magic when you know what it’ll do to me and my men, not to mention anyone else in the vicinity?”
“I apologize, but I must be sure that this information does not leave this room. I have an idea as to what could be causing this phenomenon that the spaceflight encountered. I looked into Star Dancer’s memories, and from them combined with what your scientists have described, I believe your reality is rejecting us.”
Foster’s eyes widened as an ugly thought began to form in his head. “You mean more than just your land, don’t you?”
Celestia nodded, her eyes downcast. “I’m afraid so. If it were just Equestria, the barrier would have formed around our land and no further. The fact that the humans on the mission were unaffected only confirmed my fears. I feel that our land merging with yours has altered it to more resemble our reality than yours, which explains the barrier surrounding your world and the moon.”
“And just what will happen if this barrier continues to form?” Foster asked, rising anger tinged with fear coloring his voice.
Celestia opened her mouth to speak, but Twilight beat her to it. “But that would mean everything within the barrier would be… sent back.” She slumped back into the bed, her jaw hanging open in disbelief.
Foster stood there silently, his brain racing a mile a minute as it fought to process what Celestia and Twilight were suggesting. “My God… this is impossible…”
“I am sorry to have to be the one to tell you this. If there is a solution to this problem, we will find it.” Celestia stated firmly.
“But how? We’ve tried over and over to protect people from thaumatic radiation, with nothing but failure to show for it!” Foster shouted, beginning to pace wildly. “This is hopeless!” Celestia moved to stand in front of him, but Foster pushed her aside, storming over to stand at the window. He slammed his fist against the wall. “Fuck.” He looked out the window, seeing the people walking around, doing their jobs, trying to just get by. He again felt the weight of the office come down on his shoulders, but this time the rest of the world decided to join in too. “How do we even tell people something like this?” He said, more to himself than anyone in particular. He wanted to just dump it all, get the hell out and let someone else handle it. But the little voice in the back of his head reminded him that he’d sworn the oath, and that he couldn’t abandon his responsibilities just because the world was ending. He took a deep breath and turned to face Celestia and Twilight. “Alright, now that that’s out of the way, we’ll need to convene the United Nations, tell them what the probe data shows. I’ll go before Congress and explain the necessity of diverting as much funding as the budget can spare to developing a solution. Celestia, we’ll need all the support your people can provide as well.”
“You will have it, of course.” Celestia inclined her head.
Foster nodded absently. “Then I’ll return to Washington. I’ll contact you through your embassy with any further details.” He strode out of the room, the agents scrambling to follow.
Twilight looked at Celestia once Foster was out of earshot. “Princess, do you really think we can come up with a solution, after we’ve already tried everything we can think of?”
“I do Twilight. The answer is out there, we just need to have faith that we will find it.” Celestia said firmly.
---Two days later---
“Mr. President, are you sure about this? Letting the people know this soon will cause a panic.” Curtis protested as the final touches of makeup were applied to Foster’s face.
“Curtis, I’ve thought hard about that very same thing for the past two days. But if we don’t tell people now, and the truth gets out through some other means, then how do you think they’ll take it? Now, do we have an update on the new research site?”
“Yes sir, it’s ready to begin work immediately. We received word from the Equestrian embassy that both the facility in Honolulu and the brightest minds still in Equestria have already begun looking for new solutions. Dr. Elizabeth Ross has also requested that Twilight Sparkle and the other ponies who initially worked at the Honolulu facility be asked to come to their research site.”
“Alright, I’ll ask Ambassador Fancypants to relay the message.” Foster said, already settling into the serious expression he’d decided on. “How do I look?”
“Like someone just kicked your dog sir.” Curtis replied.
“Good. Now let’s get this over with, and hope to God this doesn’t blow up in our faces.” Foster got to his feet and walked down the corridor to the Press Room, where a mob of reporters had been hastily assembled. Their hushed conversations stopped as Foster crossed the stage and stood behind the podium, a projector screen having been set up beside him. Putting his hands on it comfortably, he looked out over the multitude of faces staring at him. He could almost feel the stares of the millions of people, probably billions, beyond the dark lenses of the cameras who would be watching this speech.
“My fellow Americans… no, let me rephrase that. This speech is not for any one nation, but for all nations, all people the world over. As you know, we launched a manned spaceflight to orbit the moon last week. The purpose of that mission was to analyze the deviation of the Lyrids meteor shower. We are still analyzing the results collected, but the data so far points to a gravely concerning event.” The reporters looked at each other nervously, Foster’s use of the words ‘gravely concerning’ not something the press ever liked to hear from a President.
“The data indicates that a ‘barrier’ of gravity has begun to form around our planet and the moon. This barrier is still in the shape of a ring,” he gestured as the projector displayed an image of Earth and the moon with a ring around it, “but it is slowly expanding into what we believe will be a sphere.” The image changed as the ring was replaced by a larger sphere.
“As you also know, the mission to analyze this phenomenon included three ponies: Princess Celestia’s protégé Twilight Sparkle, a scientist pony named Sky Limit, Star Dancer, the first pony to visit our world. During the mission all three ponies began to suffer from an unknown affliction, while the human crew remained unaffected. After a thorough examination conducted by both doctors and Princess Celestia, a truly disturbing theory has emerged from the combination of our respective data. That theory being that our reality itself is ‘rejecting’ the Equestrian reality, and anything that has been touched by it.”
The sharper reporters in the room paled as they realized what the President was getting at. Hands shot up as they began to shout their initial questions, but Foster raised his hand and the room quieted down.
“I want to first stress the need for calm in this trying time our species faces. We have lived on this world for over two hundred thousand years. We have endured thousands of crises that threatened everything from our existence, to our way of life, and have overcome them all. We will overcome this as well. The American government has begun reaching out to our fellow nations to seek help in finding a solution, and have received near-unanimous support. Even our world’s newest nation, Equestria, has extended all the help that it can. Research facilities are being established the world over, all working together in an unprecedented effort. The famous phrase, ‘United we stand, divided we fall’ has never been more true than it is now. I know that we have had our differences as peoples and nations in the past, but those divisions must now be set aside for the good of us all. Thank you and may God bless us all.”
The room exploded into a flurry of noise as reporters started clamoring to get their question in. Foster pointed to one, and the room fell silent.
“Robert Hunter of NBC. Mr. President, do you have anything to say on the rumors that have been circulating blaming the Equestrians for the appearance of the Dome?”
“I have personally asked Princess Celestia that very question and find those rumors utterly without substance. I have confidence that the merging of our two worlds was no one’s intention on either side. Next question?”
“Who will be in charge of the efforts to find this ‘solution’ you spoke of?” Another reporter asked.
“The details of this effort are still being put together, and I cannot speculate on the organizational structure at this time.”
“How are the American people supposed to afford this kind of an effort? The economy is still fragile enough as it is.” Robert shouted out.
“Again, the details are being worked out, but the multinational support for this effort will likely help minimize the cost to any individual nation’s citizenry. Now, there is a lot of work left to be done, so I unfortunately will not be able answer any more questions at this time. Chief of Staff Curtis will remain to answer any further questions you have left.” Foster turned and walked off the stage and out of the room.
“Thank you Mr. President!”
…
“And welcome back to CNN’s Breaking News, that was President Foster announcing to the world the results of the mission to investigate the Lyrids meteor shower, as well as the beginnings of the international effort to develop a solution to the supposed crisis. But Dale, is the President overreacting to this information?” Holly turned to the man sitting next to her.
“Holly, given the fact that the mission only returned three days ago, claiming that some kind of barrier is forming that will reject anything within it is preposterous. It’s my professional opinion that spending time working on this ‘barrier’ solution when there are real problems like the spreading thaumatic radiation is a waste of time.”
“Well we are out of time for this segment. Thank you very much for your time. Dr. Dale Sanderson is an award winning physicist and consultant for CNN. Good night.” Holly held her famous smile until well after the light went out. Taking off her mic, she left it on the desk for the tech crew to pick up while she strode over to the manager.
“Look Teddy, I’m fed up with being stuck behind this desk. Let me go and actually be on site for something like this! NBC sent Rob, so why not me?”
“Holly, listen to yourself. You’ve been doing anchorwoman for four years now, the viewers love you where you are.”
“C’mon, that’s a load of garbage and you know it! The next time there’s a joint meeting between the President and Celestia, I will be in that room and that’s final!” Holly stood her ground, eyes blazing as she stared down the taller man.
Teddy finally sighed. “Alright, you’ll get to be in the room. And next time just ask nicer.”
“Thank you Teddy.” Holly turned and walked gracefully out of the room. Once she’d entered her office she allowed her shoulders to sag in relief. “Ok, that went fairly well. I’m going to be the first reporter to get a one on one interview with Celestia if it kills me.”